as in defunct
no longer existing
a few overgrown ruins are all that remain of that once mighty but now extinct civilization
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Recent Examples of extinct
Researchers analyzed 94 primate species, both living and extinct, using a Bayesian phylogenetic comparative approach.
—
Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
However, some of Earth’s earliest rodents that went extinct thousands of years ago, were more likely to have claws and not thumbs, according to Missagia.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
But low-cost third spaces (a place that's not school and not home) for tweens are becoming extinct.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 4 Sep. 2025
That's not to say the genre is extinct.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
However, some of Earth’s earliest rodents that went extinct thousands of years ago, were more likely to have claws and not thumbs, according to Missagia.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
But low-cost third spaces (a place that's not school and not home) for tweens are becoming extinct.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 4 Sep. 2025
That's not to say the genre is extinct.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinct
Adjective
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Pundits have always dominated the ranks of posters on social media, but now the masses of silent followers are declining, and continued posting risks preaching to accounts of the converted, the disengaged, or the defunct.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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Befriended by the aged proprietor of a now defunct Greek coast restaurant, the hen becomes an unwitting witness of human misery – greed, migrant trafficking, revenge upon revenge.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By reprogramming ordinary cells—like skin fibroblasts—into stem cells, scientists hope to create eggs and sperm from individuals long gone.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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So many firsts, gone, charred to ash, just remnants of an area that once represented Black prosperity and joy.—
Maya Richard-Craven,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Troopers suspected Abrego Garcia was transporting undocumented immigrants since none of the passengers had identification or luggage, but he was only issued a warning for driving with an expired license.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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Venezuelans with expired protections were fired from jobs, separated from children, detained by officers and even deported, lawyers for TPS holders said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Take-home tests and essays are becoming obsolete.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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By learning from these craftspeople, AIs can now replace them in offering advice, thus threatening to render the original human experts obsolete.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinct. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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